Suicide Bomber Targets Shiite Pilgrims in Deadly Blast

BAGHDAD — A suicide bomber blew himself up among Shiite pilgrims taking a break yesterday during their days-long march to a shrine for a major religious gathering. The blast killed at least 40 people and wounded 60, making it one of the deadliest this year.

It was the second attack of the day against pilgrims traveling to the holy city of Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad. Hours earlier, extremists attacked another group with guns and grenades in the predominantly Sunni Baghdad neighborhood of Dora, killing three and wounding 36, police said.

The suicide bomber targeted travelers near Iskandariyah, as authorities have fortified the capital and Karbala to keep away extremists. Those are the main areas where rituals are performed to commemorate the end of the 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussein, one of Shiite Islam's most revered figures.

The suicide bomber who struck yesterday detonated his explosives belt at a tent providing food and drinks to the travelers. Other recent commemorations have passed without major bloodshed amid an overall decline in violence.